The Legend of Zelda: Dark Alliance
by Ithanir
Summary: From the dark fires of legend comes a new evil to destroy the land of Hyrule. To fight back this evil those who should be the most hated of enemies must form an uneasy alliance. Reviews appreciated!
1. Spirits of the Forest

The Legend of Zelda: Dark Alliance  
  
Chapter 1- Spirits of the Forest  
  
A heavy mist crept its way through the trees of Kakariko forest as dawn slowly broke through the canopy of leaves overhead. A lone boy, a youth of no more than seventeen summers, meandered through the trees atop a sturdy, brown stallion. The youth was fairly tall, even sitting it was obvious he was every bit of six feet. He wore a simple tunic of green-dyed wool with leggings and a shirt woven of undyed wool. Leather gauntlets were bound to his forearms. A belt of thick, brown leather was tied around his waist and a bandoleer of that same leather crossed his chest. A sword was slung low upon his left hip, and a small pouch upon his right. On his back hung a small bow, a quiver with only a few remaining arrows, and a round shield of hammered steel.   
  
The boy looked formidable indeed. He was well muscled, but by no means bulky. A leather thong bound his long, blond hair but a few strands still hung in front of his face. Eyes, ice blue in their color, surveyed everything with keen interest. His body was relaxed but looked as if it could snap to action with little warning.  
  
"Well," the youth began, noticing the encroaching mist. "It looks like we should stop for a bit. That fog doesn't look as if it's gonna make our trip too easy."  
  
His horse snorted its assent and stopped, seemingly to understand its masters words entirely. The boy patted the horse's neck and slipped from its back and onto the dried leaves of the forest. He loosed the knot securing his bandoleer and slipped it off, setting the equipment on the ground. He stared, frowning, at the state of his equipment.  
  
"Almost out of arrows and the bowstring's damned near done," he muttered. "Looks like I've got some shopping to do."  
  
The boy reached into the pouch on his hip and pulled out a small, rawhide bag. He shook it a moment and his frown deepened when he heard the sound it made, as if a small pebble were inside of it.  
  
"More good luck. Not only do I need supplies, but I need the cash to buy 'em."  
  
The boy's horse gave a whinny that sounded almost like human laughter.  
  
"What are you laughin' at, Bel?"  
  
The horse shook its large head, then turned away to find some grass. Soon, the stallion was gone into the mists, leaving the boy alone to dwell on his sorry predicament. A gentle wind whispered through the trees, rustling the leaves and seemingly calling for someone.  
  
"Link," the leaves whispered, startling the young man. "Link."  
  
The boy, Link, looked around with his keen eyes for the source of the noise but soon realized that it was only the wind. His muscles fell lax as he realized his foolishness, but soon tensed again when he saw something that appeared to be moving toward him in the mist. He stood and silently drew his curved sword, holding it at the ready. The shape in the mist was far too large to be Bel, and Link was taking no chances that it was a friendly figure.  
  
"Link." His name again, spoken in a voice that was as deep and rich as the earth.  
  
Out of the mist stepped a tree, twenty feet tall at least. Its roots lifted and fell in muffled silence, making the plant seem to across the ground. Link, being a bit brash, charged the tree and swung with all of his strength at the behemoth, but the blow never struck. As he was charging a slender branch had reached down and plucked up the boy and a second branch shot out to restrain his sword arm.  
  
"Is that any way to treat a spirit of the forest, boy? You kids today have no respect." The tree spoke from a hollow in its trunk that moved as if it were a mouth. Link was stunned to silence at this, not to mention his swift entrapment by this forest spirit. "Well, have you nothing to say?"  
  
It took Link a few moments, but the words began to form upon his tongue: "Who... what are you?"  
  
The tree laughed. A great bellowing sound it was - shaking the ground beneath its roots. "Good questions boy. Who and what indeed. I'll answer you both. But first I think you need a seat."  
  
With that the leaves and debris that covered the ground swirled to form a chair and Link was placed upon it by the tree. The tree's mouth widened and out popped a figure that appeared to be made up of bundles of twigs. It was no more than four feet tall and, atop its twig neck, was a large leaf crinkled where the eyes, nose and mouth would be on a normal face. The crinkles moved as if they were part of a face: eyes surveying Link and mouth moving as if breathing.  
  
"I'm a forest spirit," the stick man said in a voice much larger than his size would allow. "A Korok... or Kokori is you prefer." The little stick man suddenly melted into the form of a small boy dressed all in green with a shock of red hair that could be seen peeking under his cap.   
  
"But you can call me Mido." 


	2. Unleash the Hounds of Hell

Damned summary was a few letters too long so they but it short. They should have it stop allowing you to write when the summary gets too long.  
  
Anyway, here's chapter 2. Taking a break from Link for a few because, well, I felt like writing about this more. Also, I have a picture gallery that I've made with the pictures of the characters thus far. If a character or important beast (that I can draw) has appeared in the story thus far, they'll be there. Look for updates as the story progresses. Anyway, the link for that album is http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=3975598&uid=2051188  
  
Hope you enjoy the story and the art. Leave me a review to let me know what you think of both.  
  
Chapter 2- Unleash the Hounds of Hell  
  
It is in the dark places of the earth that evil gathers. Places dank and cold, filled with the rank fumes of sulfur. In one such place, a vast cavern far to the south of Hyrule, was assembled a host a Stalfos. These half dead beings, numbering into the hundreds, were walking skeletons. Decayed flesh and muscle still hung loosely from their bones, bringing with it a smell that could cause a man to vomit. Most of the Stalfos wore armor: chest plates, mostly, but some wore gauntlets, boots and helms as well. Each carried a weapon, rusted but assuredly deadly in the hands of these deceivingly strong beasts.  
  
They had arranged themselves around the cavern in raucous groups. They grunted and fought amongst themselves as none could leave. Long ago had they been sealed away in this dismal cavern by a man of great power. They could not die so they turned to the sadistic pleasure of knocking apart one another and waiting for the body to reassemble so they could to it again.  
  
A loud crash echoed through the stony filth pit causing the demons to stop in their insane play. It had been long indeed since they had heard sounds other than their own grunts and demented laughter. In stupefied silence the skeletal beings searched out the source of the noise and found it in the form of a huge being robed entirely in black. A hood obscured its face from the Stalfos but its eyes, huge and burning red, peered luminescently from beneath the hood.  
  
The Stalfos remained silent and the hooded figure began to speak. Its voice was a great and booming thing, obviously masculine, and it echoed heavily throughout the cavern.  
  
"For ages," he began. "You have been trapped here in this dank hole beneath the earth. Your existence was forgotten by man and the world moved on without you. Mountains crumbled and were reformed, lakes dried only to awaken later as forests. All of this you have missed within your accursed prison. It is unjust I tell you!"  
  
The Stalfos, not known for their intelligence, roared their approval at this strange man's words. After a few moments of raucous shouts, the man held up a gloved hand. Abruptly, all noise in the cavern ceased. The Stalfos stifled their shouts of approval and even their echos stopped short.  
  
He began to speak anew, his voice still booming above the silent skeletal warriors. "No longer do you deserve to sit here beneath the earth. You should be free. Free to live out your endless days razing the country, or free to stay within this cavern should that be your choice."  
  
This proclamation excited the Stalfos more than ever, for even their minute brains could comprehend what this mysterious figure in black was telling them: they were to be freed of their prison. Once the cheering had reached its crescendo, the man threw up his hand for silence yet again.  
  
"I will let you go, my brothers," he told them. "But before I do you must all pledge your allegiance to me, and pledge to find and kill those whom I have been seeking."   
  
The Stalfos, always eager to destroy, raised up yet another shout: one of allegiance. The man in black let this shout carry on much longer than the others, basking in the simple-mindedness of the Stalfos. 'Powerful they may be,' he thought. 'But they lack intelligence. It is both an asset and an inconvenience. They must be educated and that will take time.'  
  
After quite awhile the man once again ushered silence. He raised both his hands above his head and a loud crack resounded through the cavern as it had before his entrance. He lowered his arms slowly to his sides and as he did a tunnel, perfectly cylindrical, opened above his head. Even in the brightness of day, because it was indeed day to those on the surface, no light reached the bottom of the cavern through the tunnel the dark man had created. He looked to his new people, surveying them with his bright red eyes.  
  
After a few thoughtful moments he said: "Now, as you are mine you will need equipment more befitting of your rank." He swept his hand across the room and each Stalfos was granted a full suit of armor. Chestplates, mail shirts, boots, gauntlets and helms adorned each of the demonic warriors. Their weapons, however, remained as old and rusted as they had before. The man it black thought the grizzly looking blades would be more fearsome than weapons which were shiny and new.  
  
He allowed his minions a few moments to admire their new attire but then pressed on again. "Now that you are properly adorned, you can join me on the surface. This place is offensive to my nose and you must all be prepared for what is to come."  
  
With that he flew up through the hole he had created in the cavern roof, leaving the confused Stalfos with no other choice than to scale the walls of the great cavern and ascend through the hole one by one. This they did, recognizing the power the man in black excluded and not wanting to upset him. From the hole they emerged and stood around looking as if they had come as hounds from the bowels of hell itself. 


	3. Forest Jayde

Chapter 3- Forest Jayde  
  
The sun had risen over the forest, driving out the mists that had entangled it, shortly after the forest spirit had revealed his name. Link sat upon his leafy throne contemplating the strange little shape-shifter as the sun shone down upon him, illuminating his already golden hair. It appeared as he had been in thought for quite awhile. Silence was the rule of the forest at that moment, not even the leaves whispered.  
  
"So... Mido, what do you want with me," Link asked, breaking the strange silence that had seemed to engulf the forest since the moment Mido had revealed himself.  
  
Mido laughed, it was still the great booming laugh of a large man even though he now looked to be a child of ten. "What makes you think I want anything more than a friendly chat, Link?" His voice, too, retained its depth and seemed comical coming from such a small body.  
  
"It isn't every day that people run into a forest spirit. In fact, seeing your kind is so rare that you're more of a myth."  
  
Mido grunted at the thought of being a myth and began to talk, climbing up the branches of the tree he had rode in on as he did. "You can certainly see for yourself that forest spirits are no myth. We're real. You're also right about me wanting something, but that's for later. But first I have someone else for you to meet" Mido, now sitting upon a branch, cupped his hands together and yelled. "Navi!"  
  
Link heard a buzzing sound to his left and turned to see a faint light coming towards them through the trees. When it reached him and Mido, it stopped and Link noticed it was not a light but a tiny woman in a blue dress with gossamer wings buzzing upon her back. Her body excluded a faint pink light.  
  
"Wow," she exclaimed in a tiny, high pitched voice while looking over Link. "You'd really thing they were related, wouldn't you?"  
  
"I thought the same thing, Navi. He looks just like he did when he was seventeen. He's also just as brash: the boy came at me with a sword before I could blink an eye."  
  
Navi giggled at that and then said: "Well, what do you expect. He was a warrior, and so is this one I suspect. I mean, that shield looks as if its taken quite a beating and those muscles... wow."  
  
It was Mido's turn to laugh now. "Perhaps we should stop talking about Link as if the boy weren't here. And perhaps you should stop flying around and plant your feet on the ground."  
  
Navi sighed lightly. "If you insist."  
  
The light emanating from the small woman soon grew to such an intensity that Link was forced to look away. When he felt the light had receded he turned back and his jaw dropped instantly. Before him stood the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. She appeared to be about his age. Her eyes were the clear, clean blue of a cloudless sky; her skin soft and fair as a dove. She wore her chestnut brown hair in a plaited braid that ran halfway down her back. A dress of blue silk with a sash around her waist robed her. Full lips turned up into a smile as the woman saw Link's slight slack jaw.  
  
"Now this just will not do, young man," she said in a voice that was as soft and fair as her skin then reached out a delicate hand to close Link's jaw. A combination of the young woman's gentle touch and the embarrassment of having stared at her beauty so openly caused Link's face to burn crimson.  
  
"I... I'm sorry," he stammered.  
  
A light laugh escaped the fair young woman's - Navi's - lips and she shook her head. "Don't be, it's natural for boys of your age to gawk."  
  
Even Link had to laugh at that. "I guess it is, isn't it?"  
  
"Come on Jayde, we need to get going and you know it."  
  
"Jayde," Link asked, confused by Mido's last statement.  
  
"Navi is a nickname I was given a long time ago," Jayde explained. "The other fairies thought it was funny because I had no sense of direction. But that was ages ago, and I was much younger. Mido's the only one who still uses that wretched name." She tossed a hard glare in Mido's direction, which he ignored.  
  
"Hey, some jokes never die."  
  
Jayde shook her head and turned to talk to Link. "Call your horse, Link. It'll be faster for us if we ride."  
  
Link, his head swimming within the strangeness that had befallen him since dawn, put to fingers in his mouth and blew out a single, sharp note that carried through the trees and startled birds from their roosts. Within a few seconds the sound of Bel's trampling hooves could be heard rushing through the trees only to stop when he reached his master's side, who had quickly reslung the bandoleer over his shoulder as the horse approached.  
  
"Thanks boy," Link said, patting the horses flank. "You up for an extra rider today?"  
  
The horse whinnied his approval so Link hopped upon the stallion's bare back and then held a hand out to Jayde. She took his hand and Link, with fluid grace, lifted her to side behind him. She laced her fingers around his waist and he felt his body warm from the simple touch.  
  
Mido, now back to being a bundle of sticks, had scurried into the hole in his tree and started moving off, calling for Link to follow him.  
  
"You heard the kindling, Bel. Guess we should follow."  
  
Bel whinnied in both assessment and laughter and started to follow the moving tree that was Mido. Link and Jayde sat atop the horse's back laughing, but Mido didn't seem to find being kindling terribly funny.  
  
NOTE: No new pictures for this chapter. I finished it at 10 was too tired by then to want to start a drawing 


	4. Lord of the Forest

Chapter 4- Lord of the Forest  
  
Link, Jayde and Mido had been trekking deeper and deeper into the forest for quite awhile, moving at a leisurely pace. Never did the trio have to move around a tree or over a fallen log- their path cleared for them as they approached, trees shifting out of their way and branches shooting down to move fallen branches. It was one of the most amazing things Link had seen in his life, and he told his riding companion as much.  
  
In response, Jayde smiled warmly and said, "This is only an illusion. True magic is much more subtle."  
  
Link, who had never witnessed any kind of magic besides that of bawdy street magicians, simply shook his head. All of this was a bit too much for him at the moment.  
  
"Where are we going anyway," he asked.  
  
"Mido wants to take you to the Tree of Might, its in the center of the forest. We shouldn't be much longer."  
  
"Tree of Might? What's that," he asked, a look of comical confusion spread across his face.  
  
"After the Great Flood," Jayde began. "The land of Hyrule was only a grouping of small islands. The Great Deku Tree, father of the forest spirits who lives in the Lost Wood where no mortal may now enter, sent out his Kokri to plant his seeds throughout the islands. This they did, but only one of the trees survived the receding of the floods and the wars that followed: the Tree of Might.  
  
"The Great One is connected to the Tree of Might, as he was connected to all of his saplings. We are to visit the Tree because Mido wants you to speak with the Great Deku Tree."  
  
Link sat silent for quite awhile, pondering over possible reasons for a tree to talk to him. As he was about to ask Jayde another question he found that they had arrived in a great clearing within the forest, a massive tree stood at the center. It looked as if the questions he had were to be answered by this Great Deku Tree, whatever that was.  
  
Mido hopped out of his tree, which slipped silently into its place among the others around the clearing, and went to stand before the massive tree. After a few moments of silence he turned his crinkled-leaf head to Link. "Come off that horse, boy, and stand over here by me."  
  
Link, not sure of what else to do, complied and dismounted Bel. He reached a hand up for Jayde and she took it willingly, allowing Link to help her off of the large stallion's back. "Thank you for the ride, Bel," she said. The horse flung his head into the air as if to say that it was no problem.  
  
Link and Jayde walked up to Mido and stood side by side next to the small forest spirit. "Link," Mido said. "Meet the Great Deku Tree, Lord of the Forest."  
  
Just then the bark on the massive tree in front of them shifted into the form of a giant face: two huge indents for eyes, a massive bulge of bark for a nose, and a gigantic pit for a mouth. "Ah, Mido," the tree said in a thunderous voice that shook the trees, as well as Link. "Why did you summon me to the Tree of Might, my son?"  
  
"Father, I've brought to you the boy I told you about last time we spoke."  
  
The tree's massive face shifted slightly towards Link. "So you have. He does look remarkably like the two before him. But the two of you've only seen the first Hero, haven't you?"  
  
"That's true," Jayde replied somewhat timidly, as if even she who had already beheld the greatness of the Forest Lord was still awed.  
  
"The Goddesses seem to favor a certain body type for their appointed Hero," the Deku Tree mused. "And Hero he is, Mido. You were right."  
  
Mido's leaf of a face crinkled into what was unmistakably a smug little smile. Link, however, frowned deeply at this proclamation.  
  
"Hero," he said, rather annoyed at this giant plant's presumptions. "How do you figure that I'm a hero? I'm a damned bounty hunter for Goddess' sake!"  
  
The Deku Tree seemed slightly perturbed by the audacity of the boy before him. How dare he challenge the word of the Deku Tree, prophet of the Goddesses themselves. "Listen, child, I have been prophet and seer to the Three Golden Ones as long as I have been a tree! I know that they have chosen you, their power emanates from you so heavily I feel as if I would choke upon it! Now sit and listen to what I have to say and remain silent until the end."  
  
Link, after being shouted at and feeling the power of the Forest Lord, stood limp and subdued between Jayde and Mido. Jayde put a reassuring hand upon his arm, and her simple touch seemed to strengthen his posture a bit.  
  
"Now," the Deku Tree continued. "You have been chosen by the Goddesses as their Hero. Hero of what I shall not tell you, for no man should know his destiny lest he become afraid and turn from it. I see now that you will not shun your fate once you discover it.  
  
"Until that fate becomes clear to you, however, you shall remain lord unto yourself. I will allow Jayde to stay with you if she would wish it, and if you would have her aid. For now, though, forget about this Hero business. Continue on your way, I will say no more."   
  
The face in the tree then shifted back to how it was before the Forest Lord had been summoned, leaving Link no chance to argue. Instead, he turned toward Mido and would have ripped the poor spirits body apart branch by branch if Jayde had not tightened her grip on his arm and turned him to face her. He found himself looking directly into her sky blue eyes.  
  
'Goddess, she's beautiful,' he thought, his anger melting away as they looked at each other.  
  
"Link, I would go with you if you would have me," she said, her voice sweet and melodious to Link's pointed Hylian ears.  
  
He smiled at her, a bright smile that showed off his perfect, white teeth, and said, "I can't think of anything I'd enjoy more than your company."  
  
Mido, feeling himself forgotten, grunted loudly at Link's statement. "I believe it is time for us to part ways then, Link. Father is going to need my help in the days ahead, so I must return to the Lost Woods. Until we meet again, my friends."   
  
The small stick being rearranged itself just then so that his body resembled a bird: leaves sprouting from his arms like feathers and the leaf that made up his head folding into the fierce visage of a hawk. Mido flapped his leafy wings and took off into the air, heading south in the direction of the fabled Lost Woods.  
  
Jayde, after Mido had left the clearing, broke into abrupt laughter. Link looked at her with slight concern.  
  
"What's so funny?"  
  
"Mido," she answered between fits of giggles. "The poor guy can't stand being ignored! Oh, he sounded so pompous with that little speech he gave. And that exit! How overly dramatic! I can't recall the last time I've seen him fly anywhere: it taxes what little power he has."  
  
Link, now understanding the humor, joined Jayde's laughter. After they had calmed down, Link gazed at the sky and then looked back to Jayde.  
  
"It's nearing midday and we haven't even broken fast yet. If we hurry, we can find some game before then and have something to eat. There was a spring a little ways back the way we came. Maybe some deer will be getting some to drink."  
  
Jayde, hungry, agreed with Link and the two (after asking permission, of course) climbed atop Bel's back and the horse moved them as silently as possible into the wood. Luck was with them then and Link was able to fell a small doe that was stopped as a small clearing near the spring for a drink.   
  
Within an hour the doe had been gutted and cooked and Link and Jayde talked and ate. From a pack that Link had tied to Bel (it was only thing that made the horse look as if it weren't wild) he pulled out a skin filled with ale so the pair would have drink as well as food.  
  
The two decided to stay in the clearing for the night and stayed busy cleaning the deerskin and making jerky out of the meat they hadn't eaten. The doe, only a child, didn't weigh much and the jerky and hide fit easily into Bel's pack. Link set the deer's innards deeper into the forest and left the meat for scavengers.   
  
When their work was done the sun had fallen low between the trees and the warm air caught a chill. Link and Jayde moved to sit next to each other by the fire they had made to keep warm. It was then, as night began to take hold of the forest, that Link asked Jayde to tell him about her past. She did and Link sat and listened in awe. 


	5. Meant to Be

Chapter 5- Meant to Be  
  
Jayde began the tale of her past with her summoning to the Great Deku Tree, whose essence had been transferred to his seedling when a dark curse destroyed his first husk, and her adventures with the Hero of Time. Link sat in rapt attention throughout the entire ordeal and eventually Jayde came to the point in her tale when she parted ways with the Hero of old.   
  
"We returned from the battle, both of us exhausted. I had done all that I could for the Hero in that battle, confusing Ganondorf with simple tricks and allowing the Hero to strike. I'd like to think that he needed me, that the battle would not have been won if I hadn't done my part, but I can't think that. He was the most pure man I have ever known, Ganondorf's evil would have been crushed regardless.  
  
"But, as I said, we both returned from the battle exhausted. I knew, somehow, that my journeys with him were at an end, so I left. It was hard for me, but I knew that it was meant to be. He had to learn to live without my aid.  
  
"He thought at first that something had happened to me, he couldn't accept that I had left, so he went to find me. I followed him as well as I could until he stepped between worlds to the mirror image of Hyrule: Termina.  
  
"From the Forest Lord, who is connected to all worlds, I learned of the happenings in Termina and his battle to save the land from the spirit of Majora. He came back from that land with four magical masks, which are now in my care.  
  
"After the Hero's return I stopped following. In some legends it is told that his companion returned to him and they were together until the day of his death, but that is not near the truth.   
  
"I had become emissary to the Forest Lord shortly after the Hero's return and was busy with the politics of the kingdom. The queen of that age was the wisest woman I have ever known. She knew of the power of the Forest Lord and that he was a conduit of the Three, so she asked for his wisdom in exchange for protection. The Forest Lord hardly needed protection but I became emissary anyway and remained as such, in human form of course, for many long years.  
  
"I didn't see the Hero again until the day of his death. He was an old man then, nearly seventy, and had grown sick and weak. He lived his last days out in Hyrule castle, a close friend of Queen Zelda and King Relan.   
  
"I went to him that last day as I am now. He had never seen me this way but somehow knew who I was. 'Navi,' he said to me. 'You left me and I was lost. Now I'm found again.' With those words he died, the last Hero of the age. It was then I realized how I had felt. That I had loved him. That my leaving was my own fear he did not feel the same, that he could never love someone who was not the same. I left the castle that same day, taking only the four masks he had saved from his adventures and his shield, and went into seclusion.  
  
"For years I mourned alone. I mourned for the death of the Hero, my Hero. I mourned for the loss of one so pure. But mostly I mourned for what was never meant to be, but what may have been had I taken a different path.  
  
"When I came out of mourning the King and Queen were dead and their son, Prince Harkinian, was on the throne. I returned to the Forest Lord and was told to go to the new King and become his advisor. This I did, and because of that decision the world was drowned to be reborn.  
  
"You see, Ganondorf escaped from the Sacred Realm when Harkinian had become an old man. He attacked the kingdom ruthlessly and, when the Hero the people expected did not come, something had to be done. I told Harkinian to drown the land, and Ganondorf with it so the King prayed. Then, on the day of Ganondorf's bold assault on the castle, the rain fell until all of Hyrule was swallowed.  
  
"I left Hyrule then for the lands beyond, remembering the past, reliving it over and over again. Nothing happened in my life for many long years. I heard tales of a man called the Wind Waker from travelers, mostly sailors, and knew that another Hero had come and Ganondorf was banished once again, but still I did not return.  
  
"In fact, I have only been back for twenty years. I knew the flood waters had receded and that the Hyrule had been reborn into its former glory but I was afraid. I was afraid the Forest Lord would punish me for deserting the land I was born to, and I was mistaken of course, but that did not stop the fear.  
  
"And now, here I am, sitting beside you at a fire with the stars shining bright overhead. Everything feels so, I don't know, right."  
  
Link, having been afraid to interrupt her story, now spoke with a voice that was touched with sadness. "I'm so sorry for you, Jayde. Having to live through so much evil with only yourself. I don't think I can do that."  
  
"Don't worry," she said in her soft voice, setting a hand upon his own which was bare as he had tossed off his armor while they had been working earlier. "You won't be alone." To Jayde, everything felt perfect for the first time in her long life.  
  
Link felt the same sense of rightness and moved out his arm to hold Jayde close to him. In her ear he whispered, "Nor will you."  
  
The two kissed under the star-lit Hylian night then laid upon the earth, falling asleep in each other's arms.   
  
It was meant to be. 


	6. First Encounter

Chapter 6- First Encounter  
  
Link and Jayde awoke to Bel nudging their heads and the sun beginning its trek into the sky. The forest was bathed in a soft orange glow, highlighting the morning dew.   
  
"Thanks boy," Link said, patting the horse's neck. "I guess you want to get an early start."  
  
Bel threw back his head in agreement and Jayde laughed. "Even Epona couldn't understand the language of man, but this horse is surely something special."  
  
Link smiled, and Bel seemed to, at the compliment. "I know he is. He's been with me since I started working as a hunter for the Royal Family. The nurse-maid, Impa, gave him to me personally."  
  
Jayde smiled inwardly, pleased that the Sheikah had also survived the Ages. The battle would be so much easier with such powerful allies still around.  
  
"Come on," Link called, putting on his gear. "We have business in Kakariko today."  
  
Jayde walked up to where Link stood next to Bel, and the young man took her in his arms and kissed her passionately. "After being alone most of my life, it feels so good to have someone like you by my side," Link whispered in her ear after they separated.  
  
"I know," came her simple reply.  
  
The two mounted Bel and rode out through the forest towards Kakariko, a bustling city at the feet of the great mountain chain that encircled most of Hyrule. The ride through the forest was uneventful, Jayde had her arms around Link's waist and her head upon his shoulder most of the time. When they came out, however, it was a different story.  
  
Before the two was a great owl, one wing pierced through with an arrow. He lay on the ground, unmoving, as two figures in dark armor approached him. One of the figures had a bow strapped to its back, both held rusted swords. Neither of the armor clad beings had seen or heard the two approaching companions.  
  
"Jayde," Link whispered. "Take Bel to Kakariko. I'll meet you there within an hour." Without waiting for a response, Link dismounted Bel and landed softly on the ground, bow already drawn and arrow set. Jayde, realizing Link knew exactly what he was doing, turned Bel and set off toward the nearby Kakariko.  
  
Link managed to fire two arrows before his string broke, but the shots were from such a distance that they only managed to make the two figures turn around to search out the irritation. Seeing him, they both began to ran.  
  
Link drew his sword, a long and slightly curved blade etched with ancient runes, and ran to meet the attack. He ran straight between the pair and flipped over their blades as they swung horizontally to meet him. He was up in a flash and turned to see that his opponents had also turned and were circling to either side.  
  
Normally, two opponents would be no trouble for Link but both of these were armored. He decided that rather than waiting for an attack, he would start it and hopefully draw himself away from one of the men. Thus, he charged the attacker on his right, bringing his sword up in a vertical slash that his opponent easily parried. He spun himself around towards his attacker's back and swung his curved blade into unarmored area at the neck, neatly severing through the neck.  
  
Link had no time to celebrate his victory because he had felt the other attacker close upon his back. Without giving the man a second of warning, Link twirled around and struck again at his attackers neck, bloodlessly severing the head.  
  
"That was too easy," Link said aloud, puzzled by his attackers' incompetence. "They looked to be seasoned warriors, but they fought like they've never held a blade."  
  
Link shrugged and then bent to wipe his blade off, only to discover that it was bloodless. No enemy ever fell without shedding a drop of blood. He sheathed his sword and went back to the bodies and examined them, only to find skeletons with rotting flesh hanging loosely from the bone.  
  
"What in the name of the Goddesses are these things," he wondered aloud.  
  
"They are Stalfos," a voice replied. "And you had best grab their skulls before you have to kill them both again."  
  
Link didn't have time to wonder where the words came from: the two skulls were slowly rolling towards their respective bodies. Link snatched both of the heads up and tied them together with a strip of hide from his pack, dangling the skulls from his belt. He then went over to the owl, removed the arrow from its wings, and gently picked the large creature up. In this way, with the large bird in his arms and skulls dangling from his hip, he met Jayde and Bel at the gates of Kakariko. 


End file.
